And so these famous old ships sailed upon their long voyages year after year. Each was a little community complete in itself; the pleasure of the voyage depending largely upon the character of the captain, and the ability and willingness of the passengers to make themselves agreeable to each other; for, like larger communities, they had the same old problems to deal with; births, marriages, deaths, love, devotion, friendship, intrigue, meanness, gossip, and scandal; indeed, all the phases of human nature, which make and have always made the happiness or the misery of life.
From the year 1702 until 1750 the Company's ships ranged from 275 tons to 500 tons burden, a favorite tonnage being 499 tons. In 1797 no ship owned by the Company exceeded 1000 tons. After that date, however, several ships were built of between 1300 and 1400 tons; and one vessel, the largest of the fleet, was 1417 tons. This was the Earl of Balcarras, built entirely of India teak at Bombay in the year 1815. She carried a crew of 132 men; composed of the commander, six mates, a surgeon and his assistant, six midshipmen, purser, boatswain, gunner, carpenter, master-at-arms, armourer; butcher, baker, poulterer, caulker, cooper, two stewards, two cooks, and eight boatswains; gunner's, carpenter's, caulker's, and cooper's mates; six quartermasters, one sailmaker, seven servants appropriated to the commander and officers, seventy-eight able seamen, and mounted twenty-six guns.
Another fine ship was the Thames, 26 guns,
